Romulus and Remus
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| Illustration: ''[[Antichita Romanae]]'' ([[1748]]) by [[Giovanni Battista Piranesi|Piranesi]]]] | Illustration: ''[[Antichita Romanae]]'' ([[1748]]) by [[Giovanni Battista Piranesi|Piranesi]]]] | ||
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| - | :''[[Romulus and Remus]], [[History of Rome]], [[Ancient Rome]]'' | + | :''[[founding myth]], [[legend]], [[History of Rome]], [[Ancient Rome]]'' |
| - | '''Romulus''' and '''Remus''' (traditionally c. 771 BC–''c.'' 717 BC and c. 771 BC–c. 753 BC respectively) are the traditional [[Founding Fathers|founders]] of [[Rome]], appearing in [[Roman mythology]] as the twin sons of the [[Vestal Virgin]] [[Rhea Silvia]], fathered by the god of war, [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]]. According to the [[tradition]] recorded as history by [[Plutarch]] and [[Livy]], Romulus served as the first [[Roman Kingdom|King of Rome]]. | + | '''Romulus''' and '''Remus''' are the twin brothers and central characters of [[Roman mythology|Rome's foundation myth]]. Their mother was [[Rhea Silvia]], daughter to [[Numitor]], king of [[Alba Longa]]. Before their conception, Numitor's brother [[Amulius]] had seized power, killed Numitor's male heirs and forced Rhea Silvia to become a [[Vestal Virgin]], sworn to chastity. Rhea Silvia conceived the twins by the god [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]], or by the demi-god [[Hercules]]; once the twins were born, Amulius had them [[Infanticide#Greece and Rome|abandoned to die]] in the river [[Tiber]]. They were saved by a series of miraculous interventions: the river carried them to safety, a she-wolf found and [[human–animal breastfeeding|suckled]] them, and a [[Picus|woodpecker]] fed them. [[Faustulus|A shepherd]] and [[Acca Larentia|his wife]] found and [[Adoption|fostered]] them to manhood, as simple shepherds. The twins, still ignorant of their true origins, were natural leaders. Each acquired many followers. When they discovered the truth of their birth, they killed Amulius and restored Numitor to his throne. Rather than wait to inherit Alba Longa they chose to found a new city. |
| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | * [[Asena]], a similar legend concerning the origin of [[Turkic peoples|Turks]] | ||
| + | * [[The Golden Bough (mythology)|The Golden Bough]], a tale concerning Aeneas and Rome | ||
| - | Romulus slew Remus with a shovel over a dispute about which one of the two brothers had the support of the local deities to rule the new city and give it his name. The name they gave the city was Rome. Supposedly, Romulus had stood on one hill and Remus another, and a circle of birds flew over Romulus, signifying that he should be king. After founding Rome, Romulus not only created the [[Roman Legion]]s and the [[Roman Senate]], but also added citizens to his new city by abducting the women of the neighboring [[Sabine]] tribes, which resulted in the mixture of the Sabines and Romans into one people. Romulus would become one of [[ancient Rome]]'s greatest conquerors, adding large amounts of territory and people to the dominion of Rome. | ||
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| - | After his death, Romulus was deified as the god [[Quirinus]], the divine persona of the Roman people. As a mythological figure, his historical basis is disputed, and it is supposed that his name is a [[back-formation]] from the name Rome. Some scholars, notably [[Andrea Carandini]], believe in the historicity of Romulus, in part because of the 1988 discovery of the ''[[Murus Romuli]]'' on the north slope of the Palatine Hill in Rome. | ||
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| - | Romulus and Remus are pre-eminent among the famous [[feral children in mythology and fiction]]. | ||
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Current revision
Illustration: Antichita Romanae (1748) by Piranesi
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Romulus and Remus are the twin brothers and central characters of Rome's foundation myth. Their mother was Rhea Silvia, daughter to Numitor, king of Alba Longa. Before their conception, Numitor's brother Amulius had seized power, killed Numitor's male heirs and forced Rhea Silvia to become a Vestal Virgin, sworn to chastity. Rhea Silvia conceived the twins by the god Mars, or by the demi-god Hercules; once the twins were born, Amulius had them abandoned to die in the river Tiber. They were saved by a series of miraculous interventions: the river carried them to safety, a she-wolf found and suckled them, and a woodpecker fed them. A shepherd and his wife found and fostered them to manhood, as simple shepherds. The twins, still ignorant of their true origins, were natural leaders. Each acquired many followers. When they discovered the truth of their birth, they killed Amulius and restored Numitor to his throne. Rather than wait to inherit Alba Longa they chose to found a new city.
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See also
- Asena, a similar legend concerning the origin of Turks
- The Golden Bough, a tale concerning Aeneas and Rome
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